Tag Archive for: Health

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We present a report on NCDs to the Committee on the Rights of the Child

Together with FIC Argentina, the O’Neill Institute and the Chair of Food Sovereignty of the Nutrition School of the UBA, we present a report in which we warn the situation of chronic diseases in Argentina focusing on the particular situation of children and adolescents ; At the same time, we suggest to the State the adoption of some measures to reduce the consumption of tobacco products and unhealthy foods.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

When a country ratifies an international human rights treaty, it undertakes to comply with the obligations established in it. Many of these treaties establish mechanisms so that the rendering of accounts on the level of compliance with these obligations is open to the participation of civil society. In this case, Argentina’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child will be reviewed before the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which is the body of independent experts that supervises its application.

Measures such as, the limitation of advertising directed to boys and girls, the adoption of a simpler and more understandable nutrition labeling, the raising of taxes, the ratification by the Argentine State of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the establishment of school kiosks healthy

The information presented and the recommendations made are intended to ensure that between the next May 14 and June 1 the 78th session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child will be held, where the final evaluation will be made regarding the degree of compliance with the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the Argentine state. The final observations that the Committee issues will be tools to require the Argentine State to comply with human rights standards.

Link to the full report: bit.ly/InformeENTs

Contacto:

Agustina Mozzoni – agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org

Juan Carballo – juanmcarballo@fundeps.org

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The hidden deception of the industry behind food labeling

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

 

In our country, overweight and childhood obesity constitute a public health problem of great magnitude. This was corroborated by the World School Health Survey which showed that in Argentina overweight in adolescents aged 13 to 15 years increased from 24.5% to 28.6% between 2007 and 2012. Likewise, the results of the National Nutrition Survey and Health reported an obesity prevalence of 10.4% in children from 6 months to 6 years of age.

In this context, FUNDEPS participated in an investigation together with the Inter-American Federation of the Argentine Heart (FIC) and the Catholic University of Santa Fe in which the labeling of foods, claims and marketing strategies in various products of our country was analyzed.

After examining 301 products, the research showed that 87% of breakfast cereals, desserts and sweet cookies contain an excessive amount of one or more critical nutrients such as sodium, free sugars or fats. Likewise, 4 out of 10 containers of cereals, desserts and cookies of low nutritional quality use nutrition messages such as “Source of vitamins and minerals” or “50% of recommended daily calcium”.

On the other hand, it was determined that the current regulations related to food labeling and marketing techniques in our country are ineffective in adequately regulating this matter, which leaves an important margin for companies to take advantage of these legal gaps, confusing the consumer and limit in your choices. In this way, the State fails to comply with its obligation to protect the human right to health, which requires preventing the actions of third parties from affecting the possibility that a group of people can effectively exercise their right to health.

This situation demonstrates the need to strengthen the existing regulation and the implementation of effective mechanisms aimed at restricting these deceptive marketing practices and developing a nutritional labeling that provides the necessary information to ensure the right of consumers to clear and truthful information, contributing to the choice of healthier options. In this way, in addition, the State will adequately fulfill its obligations in relation to human rights to health and adequate food.

More information

– Description and analysis of the Argentine regulatory framework and international standards

– Full report

Contact

Slavenska Zec – slavenska.zec@fundeps.org

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We participate in the launch of the National Coalition for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

BUENOS AIRES. On Friday, November 24, there is a day for the presentation of the National Coalition for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity; What is sought from this initiative is to decrease the highest rates of this epidemic, based on mutual and collaborative work.

Currently, there are about 41 million children under 5 years of age who are overweight or obese, of which more than 80% live in developing countries. The data available in the Latin American region indicate that, in general terms, 20% to 25% of those under 19 years of age are affected by overweight and obesity. In Argentina, the World School Health Survey conducted in 2012, showed that overweight among students was 28.6% in 2012, being higher among men (35.9% vs. 21.8% women) and with higher prevalence at younger ages.

The event contains instances for intersectoral dialogue in order to discuss the situation of the problem in Argentina, define lines of action and next steps. Representatives of international organizations such as PAHO Argentina, representatives of the governmental sector, and members of the academic and civil society are participating.

In addition, the first consensual document of the Coalition is presented, which deals with policy standards for healthy school environments in Argentina. The same was working in a coordinated manner among the members and its final conclusion is intended, from this day.

Our decision to participate in this network arises with the intention of addressing more effectively an important public health problem. In addition, we believe that it is necessary that these spaces have local data for the purpose of designing policies appropriate to local realities in terms of healthy eating.

Contact

Juan Carballo – juanmcarballo@fundeps.org

Agustina Mozzoni – agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org

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Health and law: internship at the O’Neill Institute, Georgetown University

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

FUNDEPS, in collaboration with the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University and the Faculty of Law of the National University of Cordoba, announces renewal of the internship program.

Convening institutions

– O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center

– Faculty of Law of the National University of Córdoba

– FUNDEPS – Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies

Requirements for presentation

– To be registered as a regular student of the career of Advocacy in the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences of the National University of Cordoba.

– Have passed or are studying Public International Law.

– Have a general average, with deferrals, of 7 or more points.

– Have excellent written and oral English language skills.

Selection Mechanism

– Deadline for submission of applications: 28 October 2017.

– A Selection Committee of the UNC will select a list of five to seven pre-selected persons, who will be invited to an interview to be held in English on October 31, 2017 at the UNC Law School, instead of confirm.

– On November 1, 2017 the UNC Selection Committee will send a list of three to five people to the O’Neill Institute for National whose team will decide the person selected to complete the internship.

– The selected person must participate, during November and December, in training activities on the human right to health, in the human rights area of ​​FUNDEPS.

Documentation to be submitted

– Letter of motivation in English justifying the application to the internship program of the O’Neill Institute

– Detailed curriculum vitae in English, no more than 3 pages

– Scanned copy of the analytical certificate (not electronic version)

* The materials must be sent in digital format in a single file in Acrobat Reader (.pdf format) to the address: info@fundeps.org, indicating in the subject: O’Neill Call – “Name of the candidate”.

Selection criteria

– Average.

– Interest in the area of ​​the right to health or human rights.

– Academic research experience.

– Experience working in civil society organizations.

– English level.

Financing

– The consideration given by the O’Neill Institute during the months of the rented internship (January, February and March) allows lodging and living expenses during those months as well as the tickets from Cordoba to Washington, DC.

– FUNDEPS makes available an honor credit for those who need support to cover the anticipated payment of the air ticket, under conditions to be determined.

For application send an email to info@fundeps.org

Informative talk: Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at the Faculty of Law of the UNC (time to confirm via social networks)

Phone number: 03572-15666871 (Agustina Mozzoni)

More information about the O’Neill Institute.

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We participate in the Hack(at)ONG 2017

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

The participation of FUNDEPS in the 2017 edition of the Hack (at) ONG was hand in hand with our health team. Throughout the day of Saturday September 16, we decided to work on an application and web site that would allow better access to information about licensed geriatrics in the city and province of Cordoba.

Our proposal for this initiative was based on the aging of the population, coupled with structural changes produced in society that makes more and more families choose geriatric residences for care, attention and care of the elderly. This is a great challenge for the Argentine State: at present there are no national norms that unify demands for quality and care in these residences. Added to this, provincial norms in general only allude to building issues, within a regulation that is still far from conceiving of old age from a paradigm of human rights.

Within the framework of the Open Government movement, the Municipality of Cordoba and the Province of Cordoba have tried to improve their standards of transparency. The Municipality, today has an Open Government portal that has made available to the public a large amount of data and information. For this Hack (at) NGO 2017, we wanted to encourage better accessibility to information on geriatrics enabled in the Municipality and the Province, while promoting a collaborative type of tool between citizens and the government.

Using this information, we seek to promote the development of a public registry of public and private geriatrics qualified in the province of Cordoba, which also includes the results of the periodic inspections carried out in them.

Currently, there is a tool at the municipal level to find information about licensed geriatrics in the city of Córdoba. We considered that on this basis could be worked on including information at the provincial level, while generating a dynamic of operation of the registry in which the participation of citizenship is possible. The day ended then with a first draft of the tool in which it was possible to geolocalize the geriatrics of the City of Cordoba and map in the first instance some geriatric at the provincial level. It should be noted that today there is no public registry in the Province of Cordoba with this systematized information. In the future, we hope to achieve the publication of this information and its incorporation into the tool developed.

Contact

Agustina Palencia <agustinapalencia@fundeps.org>

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Introducing amicus curiae to defend the right to information and health

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

 

On August 10, we made a presentation before the Colombian Constitutional Court to clarify the content and scope of the fundamental right to health. An amicus curiae (friend of the court or friend of the court) is a presentation made by a non-litigious third party, where he voluntarily offers an opinion on some aspect of law, to collaborate with the court in the resolution of the litigation.

The Colombian Association of Consumer Education (Educar Consumidores) launched in August 2016 a campaign called “Take care of your life – Tómala en Serio”, which sought to provide information on the harmful health consequences of regular consumption of certain sugary drinks. In the framework of this campaign, a video was broadcast on television and on radio that showed the high sugar content of these beverages, connecting these behaviors with health complications such as diabetes or obesity, which occur both in Colombia and throughout Region of Latin America. Postobon S.A., a sweetened beverage company from Colombia, denounced this video before the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC). As a result, the SIC prohibited by resolution 59176, the dissemination of the commercials alleging that it was “misleading advertising” for not having scientific or medical support for their assertions.

Resolution 59176 issued by the SIC ordered Educar Consumidores to cease the dissemination of the commercial. Also, it ordered to send to the office of the Delegation of Research and Consumer Protection of the SIC, any advertising piece that in the future wishes to transmit on the consumption of sweetened beverages (BBAA) before its publication. This restriction would apply to any medium of communication, including social networks; And the SIC established it with the objective of exercising prior control over it and deciding whether to authorize its publication and dissemination or not, under penalty of fine.

Faced with this situation, Educar Consumidores filed a lawsuit claiming for violation of its freedom to express itself in a matter of public interest. At the same time, Dejusticia filed a supplementary legal action claiming that the resolution of the SIC violated the right of consumers to access relevant information. After different instances and a very good decision of the Supreme Court of Colombia that was already commented by FUNDEPS, both cases were accumulated by the Constitutional Court. In this instance, the Constitutional Court will have the opportunity to clarify the limits of the commercial discourse and its differences with the awareness campaigns. At the same time, it may raise the relevance of access to information to ensure the right to health and to make consumer decisions with adequate information.

The amicus presented together with FiC Argentina provides arguments of international human rights law that we consider relevant for the resolution of the case. With this intervention, we hope to contribute to the solution of a case that we consider to be of extreme importance for both Colombia and the rest of Latin America. Judicial processes like this have great repercussions both globally and regionally, as they generate valuable jurisdictional background on the important issue of healthy eating.

The foundations of the amicus curiae seek to demonstrate that the measures adopted by the SIC resolution mean a violation of human rights obligations at different levels, while weakening the possibilities of responding to a global epidemic of malnutrition and obesity. On the one hand, it violates the freedom of expression of a civil society organization, it is even a clear prior censorship regarding its action in the public sphere. It also implies a violation of human rights obligations as it violates the recommendations of monitoring bodies on how to deal with the obesity epidemic. Different bodies and specialized offices such as CDESC, CRC or rapporteurs for the right to health or the right to food have pointed out that the obesity epidemic is definitely a human rights problem affecting a vulnerable population: children And adolescents.

From FUNDEPS and FIC Argentina we believe that this decision will have relevance both within Colombia and at the regional level. The growth of obesity – with a particularly strong impact on children and adolescents – and the strong presence of advertising strategies in the food industry are repeated throughout the region. Chronic noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death in the world. It is the duty of the State to respect, guarantee and protect the rights of its citizens, especially when dealing with fundamental issues such as the protection of health. Therefore, the decision of the Court in this case will be important beyond the borders of Colombia.

More information

– Amicus Curiae presented at Colombian Constitutional Court

Author

María Victoria Gerbaldo

Contact

Agustina Mozzoni – agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org

Juan Carballo – juanmcarballo@fundeps.org

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Amicus curiae before the Colombian Court on the right to information and health with FIC Argentina – August 2017

The fundamentals of the amicus seek to prove that the measures adopted by the resolution of the Colombian Superintendence of Industry and Commerce signify a violation of human rights obligations at different levels, while weakening the possibilities of responding to a global epidemic. malnutrition and obesity. On the one hand, the freedom of expression of an organization of civil society is violated, it is even a clear prior censorship regarding its performance in the public sphere. And on the other, human rights obligations are also violated while the Colombian state fails to comply with the recommendations of monitoring bodies on how to deal with the obesity epidemic.

Descargar Documento / Download File
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One month after the suspension of pensions, many people with disabilities remain unanswered

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

 

On June 21 of this year, an order was made with more than 25 civil society organizations, the Minister of Social Development, Carolina Stanley, requesting the immediate reinstatement of all pensions suspended or discharged in violation of due process , Both during the month of June, as in previous months. It was demanded the implementation of an information and discussion mechanism that effectively and effectively assures the right to be heard, and to exercise the defense of all those persons holding a disability pension. In addition, we ask for the generation of spaces for the participation of civil society, in the process of adapting decree 432/97 to international standards.

In response to the claim made, the Ministry of Social Development showed that it does not implement appropriate administrative procedures prior to the decision to withdraw non-contributory pensions, and did not give any response to the request to review the criteria of the decree 432/97, implementing instances of participation and consultation with organizations of and for persons with disabilities.

The Ministry explained that it does not implement any mechanism to guarantee the right to be heard, and due process of the people to whom the benefit is suspended. On the other hand, he replied that two provisions have been approved that render suspensions inoperative, and that a mechanism for communicating suspensions is in the process of being implemented, but it did not accredit their compliance or give access to the content of the aforementioned provisions.

Both the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation and the Federal Chamber of Social Security have respectively indicated that the administrative act that provides for the reduction of a non-contributory pension is illegitimate if it is approved without analyzing all the facts of the case; And that the powers of the Pension Assistance Commission to verify compliance with the requirements of the regulations for the enjoyment of non-contributory pensions can not be exercised without due process of adjective protection of the administrative procedure law; And a non-contributory pension can be suspended only after giving the persons affected the possibility of defense and pleading, and the facts on which it is based are fully proven.

The state action, in addition to violating the right of defense, represents a regressive act, in violation of the principle of progressivity and non-regressivity, which should govern the implementation of public policies in the area of ​​economic and social rights, such as the right to Social security for people with disabilities. This is why an urgent response to the problem faced by people with disabilities is required.

Lastly, the importance is again emphasized and it is urged that spaces for the participation of civil society in the process of amending decree 432/97 be generated and replaced by a new norm that respects the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Persons with Disabilities and the international treaties of Human Rights and ensure that, until this happens, their interpretation is done in accordance with said instruments.

Author

Luciana Severini

Contact

Agustina Mozzoni <agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org>

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First meeting of the National Commission on Healthy Eating and Obesity Prevention

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

The main objective of the meeting is to inform about the lines of action that the Program develops and to propose strategies for the joint work. This Commission was established on the basis of Resolution 732/2016 that determined the creation of the National Program of Healthy Food and Obesity Prevention in the scope of the Direction of Promotion of the Health and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases.

At the beginning of the event, Dr. Adolfo Rubinstein (Secretary of Health Promotion, Prevention and Control of Risks) and Dr. Verónica Schoj (Director of Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases) speak. Veronica Risso Patrón (Coordinator of the National Program for Healthy Eating and Obesity Prevention) explains the Commission’s working proposal: thematic and modality of work, schedule, expected products. Finally, the signing of declarations of conflicts of interest takes place at the meeting.

It is expected that the Commission will work through voluntary advisory subcommittees on different topics: food reformulation, nutritional profiles and front labeling, marketing and advertising of foods, promotion and healthy school environments.

Childhood obesity is a problem with serious health and economic consequences that is increasingly affecting low- and middle-income countries and the most vulnerable sectors of the population. At present, there are about 41 million children under 5 years of age who are overweight or obese, of whom more than 80% live in developing countries. We celebrate these kinds of initiatives that represent an opportunity for the debate and the coordination of efforts of multiple actors of society. We also emphasize the importance of including and ensuring the effective participation of organizations from different provinces that account for the specific and specific reality of each one, and allow progress towards the construction of a federal policy on healthy eating.

Contact

Agustina Mozzoni, <agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org>

Strategies for an industry that does not want to smoke

A study in the capital of this province shows that in Córdoba, tobacco companies continue to advertise their products at points of sale through shelves and exhibitors.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

 

CORDOBA. Smoking is an epidemic that represents a global problem with devastating health, social, economic and environmental consequences. Today it is responsible for more than 6 million annual deaths worldwide and for health and environmental costs that exceed tax revenues from tobacco taxes. This epidemic takes more lives than tuberculosis, AIDS and malaria together, and represents the leading cause of preventable premature death globally. Every year, 600,000 people die from smoking due to exposure to second-hand smoke, of which 1 in 4 are boys and girls.

Since one is born is exposed to stimuli that position the act of smoking as synonymous with success, sensuality and security. From movies to cartoons, our unconscious is suggested by the idea that smoking is normal, sexy and pleasurable. Who does not remember Clint Eastwood in “The good, the bad and the ugly” as a stereotype of a hard and righteous man, smoking a cigar after killing the bad guys? Humphrey Bogart, Agent 007, James Dean, Sherlock Holmes or John Travolta are examples of being a smoker is part of the success. A study by the British Medical Journal claims that tobacco companies paid millions of dollars to Hollywood stars in exchange for promoting their brands in feature films.

Women also did not escape the association of smoking with female liberation, emancipation, rebellion and the idea that smoking complements a femme fatale perfectly. The situation is outrageous if we consider that there were also interests for cartoon characters to smoke: we saw smoking on the small screen at The Picapiedras, Tom and Jerry, Professor Jirafales, Popeye, Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzalez, Lucas Duck, Porky Pork, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Tribilín, Donald Duck and even the Argentine Pucho smoked his cigar with apparent pleasure.

In this context, it is not surprising that the onset age of people in tobacco consumption is at 12 or 13 years, after a whole childhood to which they were exposed to stimuli of this type.

The Argentine tobacco regulation law, enacted in 2011, seeks to protect citizens from the impact of smoking and reduce harm, especially in children and adolescents, who are more vulnerable to advertisements and promotions.

This law meant the end of campaigns, commercials, sporting events and fashion shows sponsored by cigarette brands; By restricting advertising, promotions and sponsorships: only ads are allowed in points of sale, in publications of companies in the sector or through direct communication, with consent and verification of the age of potential recipients.

Although this legislation meant an advance, in our country still 44 thousand people die every year due to diseases derived from smoking. One in four adults smokes. The health cost attributable to this cause is 33 thousand million pesos per year, much more than the tax collected for tobacco and 12% of the total budget allocated to public health in our country.

A survey that we carried out in Córdoba showed as the main result that the exhibition of cigarette packets is the main strategy of companies to promote their products. The regulatory decree establishes conditions regarding advertising, but says nothing about the exhibition. Thus, an advertisement should not be more than 30 x 30 cm, be static, have two dimensions, have no light or be seen from the outside of the point of sale and be accompanied by the corresponding health message. But nothing says expressly about the display of products through shelves.

The data collection instrument used as a reference a protocol developed by the California Tobacco Advertising Study. The industry promotes consumption with strategies that reach everyone. Taking advantage of the legal vacuum, they comply with the conditions on advertising, but dedicate resources to the exhibition. In terms of visibility and brand promotion, the effect is as strong as that of advertising.

In areas where there is a greater investment in promotional items are those that concentrate more students. The images and messages naturalize the consumption, favor the identification and memory of the marks, and increase the need to smoke even in people who try to leave it.

In this context, it is essential to establish a ban on advertising and promotion of tobacco products, without exceptions. According to studies conducted by WHO, the elimination of any form of advertising, promotion and sponsorship is one of the most effective measures to prevent consumption. Thus, it would follow the line of provinces like Santa Fe or Neuquén, or of countries like Colombia, Uruguay or Panama.

For this reason, we present a bill to the Health Commission of the Córdoba Legislature, which prohibits the advertising and promotion of tobacco products without exceptions, including all strategies for displaying products at points of sale.

This is a complex situation, which must be approached with comprehensive policies, from various angles and with the commitment of many actors in society, but without ignoring the fundamental role that the State can play in the prevention of these diseases.

Some data to highlight as a result of the survey

  • 7 out of 10 kiosks in Córdoba use promotional strategies for tobacco products.
  • Of the kiosks with promotional strategies, 9 out of 10 do so in a way that is visible from the outside of the point of sale.
  • In all the kiosks surveyed there are shelves to organize the cigarette ties. 85% of them are visible from the outside of the point of sale.
  • 76% of kiosks have industrialized shelves. In neighborhoods with greater student presence, there is a greater investment in promotional and advertising objects.
  • In most kiosks, the products with the most prominent and attractive promotional strategies were tobacco products.
  • Tobacco advertising is mainly located near the box, which is the area of ​​highest visibility of the points of sale.
  • No kiosk contained notice about the prohibition of the sale of cigarettes to children under 18 years.

More information

Authors

Federico Piccioni

Agustina Mozzoni

Contact

Juan Carballo, <juanmcarballo@fundeps.org>

Presentation of a report to the UN Human Rights Council

The report focuses on health protection in the face of the tobacco epidemic and urges the UPR (Universal Periodic Review) Committee to recommend that the Argentine State adopt measures to achieve higher standards of protection.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

 

ARGENTINA. This year, the second five-year evaluation carried out by the United Nations Human Rights Council will take place in our country. It provides States with the opportunity to state what measures they have taken to improve the human rights situation and to establish obligations in this regard.

One of the reports, presented by FUNDEPS, together with FIC Argentina, O ‘Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and FEIM, analyzes the smoking in the world, the marketing of the industry and the legal situation in the country.

Tobacco advertising has a strong influence on smokers and non-smokers: a third of initial experimentation in young people occurs as a result of advertisements. 78% of 13- to 15-year-olds report regular exposure to cigarette commercials around the world.

The reality is that there is a lack of controls, non-compliance with laws and a refusal to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an instrument that places obligations on States to adopt Control and establishes a series of effective measures against the consequences of direct and indirect consumption. The treaty was ratified by more than 180 participants and Argentina is the only South American country that is not yet a member of this convention.

The state spends 33 billion pesos every year to treat health problems due to smoking. The tax collection from the sale of cigarettes barely covers two-thirds of the direct costs that the cigarette causes in the health system.

The partial restrictions of the ads encourage the manipulation of the same and generates a legal vacuum. Only through regulations that ensure a complete ban on all direct and indirect forms of advertising can lead our country to reach its goals in terms of cigarette consumption. Current laws lack many of the most significant components of the FCTC and hamper the efforts of health institutions to reduce tobacco use in the territory.

From Fundeps we urge that the Argentine State take this opportunity to take the necessary measures to ensure compliance with fundamental rights.

Source

Institute of Clinical and Health Effectiveness

FIC Argentina

Author

Federico Piccioni

Contact

Agustina Mozzoni <agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org>

Towards Argentina’s ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

In the Senate of the Nation took place today, a day of intersectoral dialogue that included the presentation of a bill for the ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

BUENOS AIRES. On Thursday, May 18, a day was held to promote the Argentine ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international public health treaty with members from 180 countries that Argentina has yet to ratify.

The Convention provides for a series of measures aimed at improving the health of the population by seeking the elimination or reduction of the consumption of these products and exposure to second-hand smoke. These measures include banning all forms of advertising, promotion and sponsorship, increasing the price of cigarettes and tobacco taxes, enacting laws that monitor and evaluate policies aimed at preventing consumption, implementation Of 100% smoke-free environments, offering help to quit smoking and the inclusion of health warnings with images on cigarette labels, among other measures.

In Argentina, about 44 thousand people die each year from diseases related to smoking. The average age at which smoking begins is at 12 and until then people are bombarded by aggressive marketing strategies developed by the tobacco industry. One of the most advanced measures of the FCTC is to eliminate all forms of dissemination with the aim of “protecting present and future generations against the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of smoking and exposure to smoke “.

In the event they spoke Juan Manuel Abal Medina, Senator of the Nation; Marta Santore, President of the Inter-American Heart Foundation of Argentina (FIC) Dr. César Di Giano, President of the Argentine Anti-tobacco Union (UATA); Armando Peruga, Former Manager of the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative; Patricia Sosa, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Latin American Programs Director, among other leading personalities.

We were present with the certainty that our country must ratify the Convention to guarantee the effective protection of the Right to Health; And also with the certainty that such ratification would constitute a key tool to address the interests of the tobacco industry.

Author

Federico Piccioni

Contact

Agustina Mozzoni <agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org>